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Arsenal fined - key players banned
LONDON, England -- Premier League leaders Arsenal have paid a heavy price for their part in the infamous fracas at the end of their match with English champions Manchester United last month. Defenders Lauren and Martin Keown have been banned for four and three matches respectively, while midfielders Patrick Vieira and Ray Parlour were handed one-game suspensions. Ashley Cole escaped with a £10,000 fine, but the English FA handed down a hefty £175,000 punishment to Arsenal for failing to control their players. Lauren also received a $40,000 fine, with Keown and Vieira hit with £20,000 penalties and Parlour docked £10,000. The punishment arise from the unsavoury incidents at the end of the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on September 21. Vieira clashed with United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and was sent off for a second yellow card offence, with Arsenal claiming that the Dutchman had feigned injury as Vieira lashed out. Moments later, United were awarded a penalty and when van Nistelrooy missed the spotkick he was confronted by Keown, Lauren and Parlour, with other players joining in the melee. The hefty bans for Keown and Lauren reflect their central role in the violent jostling of van Nistelrooy immediately after the final whistle. Parlour was also part of the group that surrounded and jeered the Dutch forward over his late penalty miss. Vieira paid the price for his failure to leave the field immediately after being sent off for kicking out at van Nistelrooy late in the game. Biggest fineThe fine handed down to Arsenal is thought to be the highest ever imposed on an English club by the governing body. The FA ruled all suspensions should be served from November 17, meaning manager Arsene Wenger will have to do without all four players for the Premiership match at Birmingham on November 22. Overall however the timing of the ban means the impact of the suspensions on Arsenal's season will not be as severe as first feared. Although Vieira will be badly missed for the trip to Birmingham, the match is around the time he is due to come back from a thigh injury, so he may have missed out in any case. Keown and Lauren will also miss the home match against Fulham the following weekend and the League Cup clash with Wolves with Lauren serving the final match of his ban when Arsenal travel to bottom side Leicester on December 6. Arsenal had pleaded guilty to the charges in the hope this would encourage the FA to be lenient. Their hopes on that score were dashed but Arsenal signalled they are unlikely to appeal by issuing a fresh public apology for the players' conduct. "The Club accepts that what occurred during and immediately after the match on 21st September 2003 fell well below the required standard," a statement said. Manchester United players Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs have also been charged with improper conduct. Their punishments have yet to be decided.
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